1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a stand for supporting a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel on a base, more particularly to a stand of the aforementioned type that includes a housing and a universal serial bus (USB) hub module mounted detachably on the housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional LCD device includes an LCD panel, a base, and an upright stand for supporting the LCD panel on the base. The stand generally has a housing and a display connector, such as a 15-pin D-sub connector, mounted on the housing and adapted to permit electrical connection between the LCD panel and a computer. In order to increase the functionality of the LCD device, the LCD device may be provided with a USB hub capability by mounting a number of standard USB connectors on the housing and by incorporating a USB hub controller, which is connected electrically to the USB connectors, inside the housing. As such, the computer can be connected to a number of input/output (I/O) peripheral devices, such as printers, scanners, modems, etc., via the USB connectors on the stand of the LCD device.
However, providing the stand with an integral USB hub capability increases the cost of the LCD device. Since the USB hub capability is an optional feature, some consumers might not be willing to spend more for the inclusion of this feature. Thus, manufacturers of LCD devices must continue to make two different types of stands, e.g. one having a built-in USB hub capability and the other having no USB hub capability, for the LCD devices.